Äs Nödt
'Introduction' Äs Nödt (エス・ノト, Esu Noto) is a Quincy and a member of the Wandenreich's Sternritter with the designation "F" - "The Fear". After his revival by the Coalition, he was assigned as one of the officers at Magnolia Town Unit. 'Personality' Äs believes irrational fear is a force which one cannot overcome, unlike rational fear. Because of this, he has the utmost confidence in his special ability. Äs is not above chastising his own allies, such as when he chided Mask De Masculine for not stealing 6th DivisionLieutenant Renji Abarai's Bankai when he had the chance. Äs is quite arrogant, declaring that the stolen Senbonzakura was his own and stating that he felt lonely without it. Äs also takes delight in his ability to cause fear in foes, and often laughs menacingly. During battles he has a habit of going on long, philosophical tangents regarding the nature of fear, often while rolling his eyes and turning his head in a disconcerting manner. Äs has a twisted sense of humor, such as when he made light about his evisceration of Byakuya Kuchiki, even going so far as to joke that Byakuya 'looked trim', as though he had been forced to have a new diet. Äs is a religious man, who believes in the existence of heaven and hell. The possibility of dying and going to hell scares him more than anything else, because he believes that going there would cause him more pain than what he felt in life. Likewise, he states that his only fear is to be scolded by Yhwach and have his very existence taken from him. History (Bleach Manga) A survivor, hospitalized and close to death, Äs thought living was painful. Remembering what he had been taught about heaven and hell, he hoped to go to heaven where it would not be painful, but he was afraid of going to hell, where everything would be even more painful. At his deathbed, he was approached by Yhwach, who offered him power. Upon receiving the orders of Yhwach, Äs and the other Sternritter gather at the Gate of the Sun before traveling to the Seireitei in order to participate in the conquest of Soul Society. Once there, Äs and the other Sternritter create pillars of blue flames prior to engaging the Shinigami in battle. Indiscriminately massacring numerous lower-ranking Shinigami, who are unable to injure him, Äs is intercepted by 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai. While Äs effortlessly blocks Renji's strikes bare-handed, they are interrupted by the arrival of Mask De Masculine and 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. When Äs' hand is severely cut by Byakuya, Mask berates him for allowing his Blut to be broken so easily. After Äs' comrade is neutralized, Byakuya activates his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, only for it to be stolen by Äs' medallion. Wounding Byakuya in the ensuing battle, Äs asks Byakuya if he is aware how, rather than being poisoned, he has been infected by fear. Commending Byakuya's resilience in not dying instantly like most of his victims do, Äs explains the fear-inducing ability of his Spirit Weapon, which causes victims to doubt everything and lose control of all rational thought. After receiving a blow to the chest, an uninjured Äs declares Byakuya's heart is already stricken by fear towards the Sternritter despite Byakuya's remarkable willpower. Striking the motionless captain, Äs describes how, unlike fear which comes from reason, true fear is instinctive, and so cannot be escaped. Evading Byakuya's subsequent assault, Äs attacks with the stolen Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, causing Byakuya to fall amid a torrent of blood. As Byakuya lies heavily injured, Äs tells him it was obvious he could not win against his Bankai with only his Shikai. When Renji attempts an ambush from behind, Äs negates the strike with Blut Vene. Moving to attack as well, Byakuya is overwhelmed by the blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi and is smashed into a wall, grievously wounding him. When Mask prevents an enraged Renji from activating his Bankai by attacking him, Äs chastises Mask for not waiting, for they could have stolen it as well. When Mask is surprised by this, Äs tells him he should go home and review the Daten '''which Yhwach had provided. Later, when Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto confronts Yhwach, Äs, NaNaNa Najahkoop, and Bazz-B ambush him from above. Before they can attack, Yamamoto scorches them with '''Ryūjin Jakka. Äs survives this attack and is subsequently present when Yhwach names Uryū Ishida as his successor, which shocks him. During the Wandenreich's second invasion of Soul Society, Äs notices the stolen Bankai being taken back by the Shinigami and the defeat of Cang Du and BG9. In the morning following Rukia Kuchiki's return to Soul Society, Äs confronts her, stating how lonely he is without Senbonzakura. Explaining that he is aware of who she is, Äs asks for the location of her brother. When she refuses to answer, he asks if Byakuya would arrive if he killed her, and then proceeds to attack. In spite of Rukia's attempt to block his thorn with ice, Äs manages to infect her with his fear. Äs gloats at her attempt to protect herself, but reacts with confusion when an unaffected Rukia asks what he is afraid of. Äs states it is impossible for anyone to resist fear, prompting his opponent to invite him to attack her again. Äs once again attacks Rukia, but his thorns are stopped and frozen. Äs then listens to Rukia explain how she had to run away before so that her body would have time to adjust itself to the true power of Sode no Shirayuki. Saying that freezing the thorns won't stop the fear because it doesn't enter through the wound but rather through the initial touch, Äs proceeds to make a speech about how all living beings fear something and death is what everyone fears in the end, meaning that as long as Rukia is alive she will feel fear. Confused by Rukia responding that it won't work on her because she is not alive, he asks what this means. After Rukia explains her Shikai's true power of lowering the temperature of her own body below zero, Äs says it is impossible. As he stands still repeating that what Rukia said is impossible, she appears next to him and cuts him with a blade at minus 18 degrees. Äs is then once again cut by Rukia at a temperature of minus 273.15 degrees. As he is completely frozen, Äs wonders if what he is experiencing is "fear". As Rukia slowly returns her body temperature to normal, Äs proclaims he only fears punishment by his majesty and losing his body completely as his mask crumbles, revealing a decaying mouth. Äs activates his Quincy: Vollständig, gaining a halo in the shape of a Wandenreich emblem, two streams of blood pouring from his eyes, and a cloak with a line of stitches down the middle. When Rukia realizes she cannot move, Äs reveals she is finally experiencing fear because she is looking at him and reveals his ability to be Tatarforas before explaining how she can no longer escape his gaze. As Äs tells Rukia to finally experience fear, Byakuya cuts through Tatarforas. As Byakuya steps forward, Äs immediately starts mocking him about the injuries he inflicted on him during the last invasion. When Rukia calls out to her brother and tells him to avoid eye contact with him, Äs exclaims it's too late as he surrounds Byakuya with eyes. After Byakuya destroys his eyes using his Zanpakutō, Äs, noting he must have surrounded the area with his Bankai, says he really would have liked to keep it. After Byakuya explains he's using Shikai, Äs becomes enraged when the captain thanks him for stealing his Bankai and giving him the opportunity to understand his Zanpakutō better. Äs begins transforming as he declares he will not kill Byakuya but rather make him experience such terror he will wish for death. After transforming, Äs, now in a monstrous form, tells Byakuya the end has come. When Byakuya says Rukia will kill him, Äs tells him to stop insulting him. As he thinks about his fear of death and Hell, asking His Majesty to forgive him, Äs is frozen and killed by Rukia's Bankai, Hakka no Togame, his body shattering and falling apart. 'Five World War: Fairy Tail Campaign' Magnolia Arc 'Relationships' 'Sternritter' Acts Of Order Monkey D. Luffy Alliance 'Boa Hancock' Coalition Bazz-B 'Powers and Abilities' As a member of the Sternritters, Äs is one of the strongest fighter among the Wandenreich. While not a direct combat type like some other Sternritters, Äs has proven to be a very dangerous enemy due to the nature of his powers, which inducts them with fear, rendering his enemies defenseless and at his mercy. As shown in the past he was abke to defeat Byakuya Kuchiki and then later Boa Hancock and her two sisters through his abilities. The Fear: Despite the considerable attack strength of Äs's spirit weapon, the true power of the thorns lies not in their offensive capability, but instead in their ability to induce limitless fear in those who are struck. Just a single wound is enough to inspire a deep-seated fear towards Äs, causing victims to doubt everything, lose control of all rational thought, and see visions of their deepest fears. While this would typically result in instantaneous death due to a person's heart being unable to bear such intense shock, an individual's experience and willpower can be used to resist this fear to an extent, though Äs is confident all would succumb to it eventually. When the thorns strike an object a black substance of fear begins to spread. It can even move through the objects to induce fear in a foe. The thorns can induce fear in their target through simply touching them, so it is not necessary for the foe to be wounded for the fear to infect them. Reishi Manipulation: As a Quincy, he primarily absorbs spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and combines it with his own spiritual energy to form weapons. He has an easier time collecting this energy in environments with higher concentrations of Reishi such as in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. * Hirenkyaku Expert: '''Äs is a considerably fast combatant; he was able to move behind Rukia Kuchiki, a '''Shunpo expert, before the latter could even react. * Blut '(血装 (ブルート), burūto; German for "Blood", Japanese for "Blood Guise"): An advanced Quincy technique which grants one inhuman defensive and offensive capabilities by making Reishi flow into the user's blood vessels. ** '''Blut Vene '(静血装 (ブルート・ヴェーネ), burūto vēne; German for "Blood Vein", Japanese for "Stilled Blood Guise"): While Äs' defensive form of '''Blut is strong enough to negate attacks from Renji's Shikai, it is not absolute, and can be torn using sufficient power, as evidenced when Byakuya's Senbonzakura managed to cut Äs' hand. However, he was able to withstand being frozen to the point of "absolute zero" (-273.15 degrees Celsius) by Rukia's Shikai and managed to break free from the ice, with only a few minor frostbite injuries. Great Spiritual Power: ''' Äs' spiritual power is on a level comparable to or greater than that of a captain-level Shinigami,proven when he swiftly defeated 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. His Reiatsu can unsettle an enemy by making them believe someone is touching them. Spirit Weapon '''Reishi Thorns: Using his abilities as a Quincy, Äs can concentrate both spirit energy and particles in order to transform them into weapons. His favored weapon manifests in the form of several luminous thorns floating in close proximity to his person, which are used to viciously impale victims and can pierce the body of a captain-class Soul Reapers with ease. The thorns can be fired at an enemy at high speeds. Quincy Vollstandig 'Trivia' Category:Sternitter Category:Quincy Category:Male Category:Resurrected Category:Coalition Category:Coalition Captain Category:Bleach (Series) Category:Magnolia Coalition Unit Category:S-Class Fighters Category:Subordinates of an Act of Chaos